<div>Within hours of complying with the directive of the Supreme Court on releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the state government asked the Centre to depute a team to assess the distress situation.<br /><br />Karnataka’s plea coincided with intensified protests in several parts of the state against the release of water to the neighbouring state. The state government wrote to Union Water Resources Secretary Shashi Shekhar, who is also chairman of the jurisdictional Irrigation Consultative Committee (ICC), urging the despatch of a study team. The ICC consists of representatives of all the Cauvery basin states.<br /><br />Water Resources Minister M B Patil said the state government will also write to the supervisory committee, constituted to give effect to the final award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT). “We will ask for a meeting of the supervisory committee to be convened at the earliest, and a study team. We are also finalising the petition to be filed before the Supreme Court seeking the modification of its September 5 order (on the water release),” Patil said.<br /><br />Meanwhile, protests intensified in several districts, especially in the nerve-centre of Mandya, and continued into the third day, disrupting life. The Bengaluru-Mysuru highway also remained closed. There were reports of the agitation reaching several districts of north and coastal Karnataka too.<br /><br />The protests by farmers and pro-Kannada organisations continued even as water flowed into Tamil Nadu. At Srirangapatna, farmers got into the Cauvery river to register their protest.<br /><br />The apex court, on Monday, directed Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs of Cauvery water a day to Tamil Nadu for 10 days.<br /><br />As much as 16,900 cusecs of water was released by Wednesday evening from Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs in the state, to Tamil Nadu. The water outflow from these reservoirs was 2,879 cusecs till Tuesday night. The outflow was later increased to comply with the apex court direction, according to sources in the Water Resources department.<br /><br />Around 20,000 cusecs need to be released each day to register 15,000 cusecs at Biligundlu gauge point located on the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu border. The state government does not want to risk default and would maintain the supply for the next 10 days, the sources said.<br /><br />In a bid to pacify angry farmers, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directed the Water Resources department to release water for standing crops in the Cauvery basin, as well.<br /><br />The state government had earlier decided to utilise the water stored in the four reservoirs of Cauvery basin - Harangi, Hemavathi, KRS and Kabini - only for drinking water purposes.<br /><br />The change in stance follows the Supreme Court’s direction to release water to TN. The state’s total irrigated area with standing crops in the Cauvery basin is 2.9 lakh acres. Around 6,000 cusecs of water would be released for the state’s farmers from Thursday morning.<br /><br /></div>
<div>Within hours of complying with the directive of the Supreme Court on releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the state government asked the Centre to depute a team to assess the distress situation.<br /><br />Karnataka’s plea coincided with intensified protests in several parts of the state against the release of water to the neighbouring state. The state government wrote to Union Water Resources Secretary Shashi Shekhar, who is also chairman of the jurisdictional Irrigation Consultative Committee (ICC), urging the despatch of a study team. The ICC consists of representatives of all the Cauvery basin states.<br /><br />Water Resources Minister M B Patil said the state government will also write to the supervisory committee, constituted to give effect to the final award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT). “We will ask for a meeting of the supervisory committee to be convened at the earliest, and a study team. We are also finalising the petition to be filed before the Supreme Court seeking the modification of its September 5 order (on the water release),” Patil said.<br /><br />Meanwhile, protests intensified in several districts, especially in the nerve-centre of Mandya, and continued into the third day, disrupting life. The Bengaluru-Mysuru highway also remained closed. There were reports of the agitation reaching several districts of north and coastal Karnataka too.<br /><br />The protests by farmers and pro-Kannada organisations continued even as water flowed into Tamil Nadu. At Srirangapatna, farmers got into the Cauvery river to register their protest.<br /><br />The apex court, on Monday, directed Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs of Cauvery water a day to Tamil Nadu for 10 days.<br /><br />As much as 16,900 cusecs of water was released by Wednesday evening from Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs in the state, to Tamil Nadu. The water outflow from these reservoirs was 2,879 cusecs till Tuesday night. The outflow was later increased to comply with the apex court direction, according to sources in the Water Resources department.<br /><br />Around 20,000 cusecs need to be released each day to register 15,000 cusecs at Biligundlu gauge point located on the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu border. The state government does not want to risk default and would maintain the supply for the next 10 days, the sources said.<br /><br />In a bid to pacify angry farmers, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directed the Water Resources department to release water for standing crops in the Cauvery basin, as well.<br /><br />The state government had earlier decided to utilise the water stored in the four reservoirs of Cauvery basin - Harangi, Hemavathi, KRS and Kabini - only for drinking water purposes.<br /><br />The change in stance follows the Supreme Court’s direction to release water to TN. The state’s total irrigated area with standing crops in the Cauvery basin is 2.9 lakh acres. Around 6,000 cusecs of water would be released for the state’s farmers from Thursday morning.<br /><br /></div>
